anj4de

Hi Right now the weather here in southern Bavaria is absolutely lousy...we just had a storm front going through and the next one has already been announced. A jump weekend in Switzerland that I was planning to attend got canceled for that reason. My home DZ is in general open all year round but only if: -there is no to high snow on the runway -the grass runway is not soaked (non re-enforced, 2ton limit) -the weather is good -a pilot is available and jumpers who want to jump -it's Saturday or Sunday (non commercial club) So that kind of narrows it down to very few selected days during the winter. My club is http://www.lsg-burgheim.de/ cheers Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

I guess in your case you could at least make the reserve your "new" main and look for a newer dated reserve... For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hello all I had an interesting discussion with a master rigger here in Germany yesterday...about the age limits on parachutes in general. To be more precise...about the question if an unused but old canopy (MC-4 from 1988, brand new in bag still) would still be considered new...or at least usable. His opinion is that a canopy that old, even though properly stored, would not be good any more and should not be brought into circulation and hence would not get his airworthiness certificate . The MC-4 I just mentioned as an example since it seems like there are quite a few NOS ones floating around right now. The discussion mainly stayed in the F-111 type arena...(MC-4, MC1-1C/D, SF-10A, Paracommander etc...) ZP was not really spoken about. So now here my question to the broader forum; Is this true for an unused, sealed, stored away in the dark canopy and how does simply time (not saying UV rays, salt water, usage, etc...) really affect nylon canopy material? Going forward, is this also true/untrue for ZP? What makes me wonder in relation to this is that the German Army regulation for parachutes strictly follows the DOM date...over x years old goes into the bin, that is also done with fabric roles, lines, etc...where as the US Army parachutes for example always carry two dates, the DOM and the PIS (put in service) date which makes me believe that pure shelf aging can't be that dramatic...but I am by no means an expert in fabric nor a rigger. thanks Uwe PS: my second SF-10A has a DOM 06/03 and a PIS of 07/09! That's six years in the closet... For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hello all Hope you all had a nice Christmas...here is was very good, lots of family around etc...but now I am glad it's over So here is my actual question. Is there a company or shop out there that still carries or makes classic skydive jump suits? I mean the ones with the two full length zippers, the knit collar and cuffs, all that in nice non-neon colors like ruby red or sun flower yellow, maybe checkered...just like the ones worn in "Gibbsy Moth" ... and then those great 70ties ones that make you look a bit like Batman. I see them from time to time on E-bay but of course never in my size. thanks Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

So true. I'm on my "winter break" now. Can't wait for spring! Same here...winter really sucks...! I left the sport in 87...life simply got in the way...but the brain was always sort of connected to it still. A couple of years ago I started to get those very real dreams, I could hear the engine sound, smell the jet fuel, saw myself in the middle of the crowd entering the plane, then woke up and was mentally destroyed. Last May I decided I had to do it again...and now I am happy. Will carry on doing it as long as health and money allow it! Blue skies Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hi I bought the outdoor edition since it has the most usable mounts for me. I have now mounted the camera to the front top of my ProTec helmet by using the curved pad supplied in the box. Havn't jumped it yet...Since I mostly jump static line military chutes I hope the issue with lines getting caught around the camera is limited. Will post videos once I have some... cheers Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Looking at those pictures this is a canopy for "petite" people. But it for sure looks good! cheers Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hello... Another vintage round on E-bay...a Starlite in a very modern looking rig. http://www.ebay.com/itm/SST-racer-back-pack-tandem-assembly-24-reserve-lightweight-starlite-main-/150719819555?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item231799ef23 cheers Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hi Henny Please keep us updated with the date for the next vintage event in Teuge, being from Bavaria I could plan to attend if I know it early enough. thanks Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Bitte sehr...

Hi... Just a quick heads up...there is a black PC on E-bay. http://www.ebay.de/itm/270869852048?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 Unfortunately I have no "funny money" left right now and I am too heavy for a 24ft one anyway... Just bought a second SF-10A last month... cheers Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hi I had my first and so far only DC-3/C-47 jump on September 17th this year. A day I will never forget as long as I live. I have recently picked up jumping again, I am not fully there yet though since I am still restricted to SL...last free fall was in 1987...next one will be April 2012 so God will. Anyway, on Sept 17th I was with a bunch of guys from a Dutch parachute group and we jumped a historic drop zone In Holland near Eindhoven. There are yearly events there and they almost all the time have at least one C-47 there. This year was a bit special though. The normal jumpship, a C-47 coded 3X was not available and so the organizer was forced to look around for a substitute. This came in form of a C-47 (N147DC) that is based in the UK. From what I heard it normally serves the movie prop circus. When we arrived at Eindhoven airport it was standing ready in fron of the hangar together with another C-47, this one being an active duty RAF Dakota of the BBMF. The outside of ours looked a bit...strange...a new layer of paint in a not quite right shade of OD (it was dark gray) but with full invasion stripes, etc...The sensation unveiled itself when we entered the plane. It was untouched since the end of WWII...or maybe the early 50ties. The original paint was there, covered by a thin layer of RAF interior green that was peeling off by itself. The metal bucket troop seats...all there, the stretcher fixings...all there, the original windows with the little round opening to but gun barrels through...still there. It was like a time slip. The flight only lasted about 15min...15min in heaven for me...and the jump was excellent, I landed nicely in the DZ even though it was very windy. This ship is simply amazing, not sure if there are many untouched ones out there still. Truly a day to remember for the rest of my life. I have attached a couple of pictures... cheers Uwe [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/anj4de/1192269276.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/anj4de/EerdeStick1-2.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/anj4de/Market%20Garden%202011/P1030392.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/anj4de/Market%20Garden%202011/P1030356.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/anj4de/Market%20Garden%202011/P1030355.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/anj4de/Market%20Garden%202011/P1030354.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/anj4de/Market%20Garden%202011/P1030323.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/anj4de/315895_2410871633221_1294166411_32794593_520062156_n.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/anj4de/308970_2410868233136_1294166411_32794584_1715810817_n.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/anj4de/UweTest.jpg[/IMG] For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hi I am sure this makes a nice camera for those, like me, who just want to document their fun in life to shat with others without going professional...and super expensive. Since I did not have a jumpable video camera so far I pushed the button and ordered one. I will post my impressions once I get it. cheers Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hello all I would be interested to hear from the global community which rules and regulations exist when it comes to round canopy jumping, both free fall and static line in the various countries around the globe. Reason being that I heard rumors that certain countries completely forbid jumping rounds...(UK, France...?) I can start with Germany: Training up to receiving your license is done on ram air chutes only, both traditional and AFF. The possibility of getting a static line license only is given. After you have your license rounds can be jumped if the logistics and DZ allows it and of course if your kit is certified air worthy. This goes for free fall and SL. thanks Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hi... T-10...from a C-160 Transall! cheers Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hello everybody I am looking for information on how to build drifters...at my club there are only two other people who have ever jumped a round canopy and they do not know the dimensions and the weight of a drifter any more. Now my buddy and me are slowly getting confident enough to spot ourselves but to be fully able to determine the exit point and to guide the plane to the spot setting drifters is needed...When I was in the Army we used balloons from the ground and calculated the drift by measuring the angle and taking the time after take off...not exactly what we can do nowadays in our DZ. So instructions on how to make drifters would be very welcome. thanks Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hello Scott Exactly what I needed! Thanks a lot...great stuff! And now off to the packing table... Blue Skies Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hello... This post is directed to the riggers out there who are familiar with the MC1-1B/C/D series and the SF-10A series of troop parachutes. I made my first SF-10A jump on Saturday. My buddy was jumping as well that day, he has 3 MC1-1C chutes one of which he jumped that day. He reported that one of the chutes, the one he likes best, turns really nicely while the other two are a bit like lame ducks! On my jump I made the observation that my SF-10A even though it turned nicely (nothing in comparison to the PD260 I was jumping since May) it did not want to develop any significant forward movement. First I thought it was just me and my "ass meter" that was spoiled from the ram air chute...but when I looked at the videos a couple of times and when I re-called the details of the decent it dawned my that my chute does not perform like the ones I saw in videos from elsewhere. The SF-10A or FS-14 as it is called as well is said to be able to make up to 10kts. forward...! So this afternoon I sat down and looked at the steering toggles of my chute...the red lines seem to be shortened quite a bit by making knots under the toggles. If I understand the principle of the SF-10A construction correctly that means my 4 valves on top of the canopy will be kept in a half shut position, limiting the forward movement and making turns slower. Then I rang my buddy and asked him to check out his -1Cs...and he reported that the two lame ducks have significant slack in the steering line, which on a 7TU config would have the same result, lower turn rate! Now all of those three chutes came from the US. In order to finally proof my suspicion (still not 100% sure, hence the post) I rang my son in law who is an active duty rigger in the German Army. He told me when stretching an an MC-1* on the packing table the steering lines should have a slight tension and the wooden toggles should rest at the metal rings on the risers! My buddy's MCs clearly have major slack in the steering lines when stretched out. Now here is the hypothetical conclusion: Where all those chutes that came from the US somehow "tuned down" in order to prevent rockies from messing up when jumping? Both, the SF-10A and the MC-1s clearly so far fly well below their normal flight envelope. Not being a certified rigger I am only guessing here...so if some of the experts could help me out? thanks a lot Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

..."Modern spiral spring pilot-chutes were not invented until the Second World War (George Quilter) and were slow in adoption. For example, the West German Army was still using umbrella type pilot-chutes until 1986 (when I attended their static-line program) and the Chinese Air Force was still buying spring-less pilot-chutes in 1991."... The umbrella type pilot chute is still being used in T-10R reserves over here in Germany as of today (08/2011)! And there is no talk going on right now to change that to an M-1A or a MIRPS anytime soon. There are trials going on for a completely new system but until it hits the troops it will be some time...years? cheers Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hello again... Ok...so the first problem just came up...weight! I have 220 naked... From your experience, is the landing of a Mk1 harder or softer then that of a stock T-10. T-10s I can handle ok...but I would not like it harder a lot. About the harness...I was thinking about the T-10/MC-1 harness since most PC canopies I have seen so far have risers with the same quick release system as the T-10, also the harness I personally think is very comfortable to "sit" in and the container is easily big enough for any round out there. Could someone post some data around the "jumbo" PCs please? What diameter does it have? Is a jumbo the same cut as a Mk1 just bigger? What exactly is the military MC-3 like? Questions...questions...I know. Since I am not in a hurry with all this I might even be able to drop some weight until it becomes reality. I am aiming for mid next year. Until then I will have my license back, I will also have a number of SF-10A jumps hopefully and I will of course only do a PC jump (or more) if my rigger has ok-ed all components and the circumstances around such jumps. I have no intension to ever jump a PC manually...for the free fall experience the large PD 260 I jump is more then sufficient. thanks Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hello everybody I recently got back into the sport...am on my way now to get my full license back and hopefully will have it in hand by the end of the year. The mail reason for getting back to parachuting for me was to be able to participate in static line memorial jumps being held here in Europe one in a while in Normandy, around Arnheim and elsewhere. But I also want to pick up regular "skydiving" again with normal, modern day gear of course. One of the dreams I have had ever since I was a young boy was to jump a Paracommander. Now I have read quite a bit in the forums here and it looks like is is very well doable. First I as concerned about the age of the canopies but when my current rigger told me he also still has one from 1970 in airworthy condition the "wish" started turning into a plan. My current though would be to only use a PC for static line jumps since all it matters for is the canopy ride nowadays...and it would be less stressful on the material. Before searching for a chute I would like to know what models were available and the "tech data" around them. I have heard of Mk1s, Mk2s, Competition PCs, Jumbos, MC-3...Could someone help me to put a spread sheet together that shows all the different Mks, when they were made, how big they were and if they had special issues? Next thing then is to rig it up...I so far think of a MC-1 rig with a T-10R MIRPS reserve...would that work? Any advise from people with PC experience is very welcome. thanks a lot Uwe PS: I know about PLFs and round chutes, have around 70 jumps on T-10s, TTs (T-10 with double L mod), MC-1Bs ,and XL-30s. My futures round for the memorial jumps is a SF-10A For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hello again Thanks for your answers... Yes, both Airborne Systems and Irvin only sell to official government agents. I found that out when shopping for my military static line gear for the memorial jumps over here. I was lucky though, found a 2002 SF-10A that had only 5 jumps on it... and over here got a MC-1 harness with 0 jumps made in 2007! Got both inspected by a rigger over here and am now ready for the Arnheim jump! Back to the PC though...once I get my free fall license back I definitely have to have one! Civilian or military does not matter but I think I need the "jumbo" version due to my weight/age ratio 100kg/48years. Blue skies... Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hello all In 1968 French journalist Catherine Leroy participated in the only large scale combat jump of the Vietnam war when she jumped with the 173rd AB Brigade during operation "Junction City". According to reports she had to carry extra weights in order to not being blown away under the large T-10. Here some more infos and pictures...To my knowledge she was the first woman to make a combat jump with a military strike force... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Leroy [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/anj4de/5784-1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/anj4de/04.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/anj4de/RVN-1-img_0496A.jpg[/IMG] ..."And Leroy didn't just photograph the war from the sidelines. She jumped in feet first, literally. Thanks to a former boyfriend who taught her how to sky dive, in 1967 she was a licensed parachutist when she joined up with the 173rd Airborne Division and jumped along with them into a combat operation, becoming the only known accredited journalist – male or female – to jump into combat with American troops at war."... cheers Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci

Hi Jerry Just dug out that old thread again...I am right now in the process of re-gaining my license after a 19 year break! Once current again I would love to have a Para Commander...now you say that they are still being made today? I heard of the MC-3 having been around for quire a while but I wasn't aware of the fact that they are still being made. Could you please tell us a bit more? thanks Uwe For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. -Leonardo da Vinci